Chess Your Library

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Chess _at_ Your Library

• Neil Krasnoff
• Betty Copeland

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Objectives

• Motivate Participants to start chess clubs in
  their schools
•  Participants will gain knowledge and confidence
  in their abilities to run a chess club
• Participants will learn a recommended sequence
  for teaching chess

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Why Chess?

• "In classrooms where Chess has taken hold,
  educators are reporting astounding results. 
  After learning how to play chess , kids who once
  showed little interest in getting a good
  education are not only turning their grades and
  lives around, they are excelling.  Chess
• sharpens problem-solving skills
• enhances imagination and creativity
• promotes independence and a sense of
  responsibility
• hones memory
• heightens self-esteem
• reinforces the concept of deferred gratification
• and much more!
•  
•     -Maurice Ashley in Chess for Success
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The Ease of Starting a Chess Club

• Chess equipment is very inexpensive
• Many students and staff will already understand
  the basic rules of chess. 
• Chess is a timeless game that will attract an
  audience with minimal publicity
• In summary, the benefits of chess are many and
  the costs and challenges are few

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History of Hays CISD Chess Program

• 2005-Program Established at Lehman HS
• 2006- First tournament/fundraiser event attracts
  60 students from area including representatives
  from 80 of Hays CISD schools
• 2007-First official Hays CISD Chess Championship
  attracts 90 students from all but one Hays CISD
  campus
• 2008-Second Hays CISD chess tournament attracts
  100 students from 100 of Hays CISD Schools. 
  Lehman HS wins Region VI chess title
• Today  The Hays CISD chess program involves over
  300 students on each campus

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Case Study Dahlstrom Middle School
At Dahlstrom --- Chess is   King!
(  
photo by Christy Hodson)
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 "How does a middle school librarian who knows
very little about the mysterious game of chess
become the chief cheerleader of a group of
gung-ho chess warriors?"
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NEW RELATIONSHIPS / MENTORING
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Dahlstrom Chess by the Numbers

• 135 originally recruited
• 80 average at weekly meetings (lower numbers
  after changing meeting date, also due to sports,
  and losing students who are no longer interested)
• Majority is male, roughly 80.
• We have 60 6th grade 25 7th grade and 15 8th
  grade.
•  
• We are also meeting our low-socio/ low-economic
  students' needs by providing late-bus services
  for after-school activities.

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INNOVATIVE TEACHING GRANT!

• We applied for -- and received --a grant of 2000
  to apply to our chess program, allowing us to
  hire a noted chess master to teach advanced
  strategies to students who sign up for workshops,
  and to provide for additional activities to
  support our chess program.
•  
• We have parents who bring their elementary
  children to participate in our chess club --
  additional middle school mentoring of younger
  students.
•  
• We have "resource" students participating --
  again additional mentoring student-to-student --

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How many middle school kids can we squeeze in??
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Thank you HCISD for your support of our Chess
Nuts!
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Chess is definitely cool at Dahlstrom!
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Getting Started

• Purchase Chess Sets-Buy only solid pieces.  Don't
  bother with the 3.00 hollow sets at the Grocery
  Store or Pharmacy
• Purchase a couple of clocks
•  
• www.uscfsales.com (United States Chess
  Federation)
• www.americanchessstore.com (Austin based company)
•  
• Then
•    
• Decide meeting times
• Recruit parents and community members

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Essential Information

• United States Chess Federation
• http//main.uschess.org/content/view/7574/131/
•  
•  
• Chess Corner
• http//www.chesscorner.com/tutorial/learn.htm
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Excellent Resources

• Susan Polgar Institute of Chess Excellence
  (SPICE) at Texas Tech) http//texastechchess.blogs
  pot.com/
• Ashley, Maurice. Chess for Success Using an Old
  Game to Build New Strengths in Children and
  Teens. New York City Broadway, 2005. 
•  
• Root, Alexey W.. Children and Chess A Guide for
  Educators. Westport Teacher Ideas Press, An
  Imprint Of Libraries Unlimited, 2006. 
•  
• Root, Alexey W.. Read, Write, Checkmate Enrich
  Literacy with Chess Activities. Westport Teacher
  Ideas Press, An Imprint Of Libraries Unlimited,
  2009.
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Chess Trivia Questions 1

• When did the Queen become the most powerful piece
  on the board? 
• Why?

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Chess Trivia 1

• Answer  Probably originated in the 15th Century,
  but the current strong Queen rule spread with the
  rise of powerful female rulers such as Catherine
  the Great in Russia and Victoria of England. 

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Chess Trivia 2 

• Which civilization invented the game that
  eventually became known as Chess?

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Chess Trivia Continued 2

• Answer India was credited with the original game
  called caturanga, but the Arabs improved,
  popularized and spread the game along with Islam
  before the 10th Century.  The Persians were also
  very influential in the early period. Chess
  evolved into its modern form in Europe and  it's
  current rules were mostly established by 1850.

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Chess Trivia 3

• In chess, there are two ways of "wasting time."
  What are they?

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Chess Trivia 3

• 1.  The most obvious "time wasting" occurs when
  playing with a clock and one waits a long time
  before making a move. 
• 2.  The 2nd way of wasting time is by making
  moves that are ill-conceived and being forced to
  move the same piece out of trouble.  Most common
  amateur mistake is taking the queen out early and
  then the opponent forces it to move back several
  times.